A single match ended in an even shorter time than imagined.
It boiled down to the difference in experience and methods.
An example would be the battle between disciples of the Heavenly Artisan lineage and Elixir Peak.
The result was determined when the Heavenly Artisan lineage disciple revealed a spiritual item shield.
Although the nine-section bamboo staff of Elixir Peak wasn’t bad, it could not break through the spiritual item shield.
Without magic treasures, in the end, the disciple from Elixir Peak was defeated by an item alchemist who used more spiritual items.
Was that fair?
It, naturally, was not. By definition, a battle between an elixir alchemist and an item alchemist was unfair.
An item alchemist had more spiritual items and magic items.
An elixir alchemist would not even have time to consume elixirs before they were completely suppressed by their opponent.
Such was the battle forum. Everything was fair game.
A disciple with talent and intelligence would naturally cultivate faster than other disciples.
Those with magic treasures were naturally wealthier than other disciples and received more favor from their masters.
In the battle forum, everything was fair game. There were only the strong or the weak.
The Luo Sheng Sword School organized the battle forum in order to tell the world that cultivators did not concern themselves with fairness. Instead, they merely spoke through their abilities and methods.
If one did not have magic treasures, then they would train hard and cultivate.
If they did not have talent, they had to work even harder.
Any slack in their training would manifest in the battles.
For battles in the sect, they would only lose face. For battles outside the sect, they would lose their lives.
In the battle forum, jade tokens flashed continuously.
In just four hours, six battles had been fought.
The seventh match had yet to begin, and there was already a disciple who activated their own jade token on their own accord.
“I am a Golden Jade Sword Branch disciple, Fu Yunzhao. Please instruct me, Little Master-Uncle!”
Fu Yunzhao, who was dressed in white robes, got up from his seat.
The jade token in his hand shone.
Everyone turned their gazes toward him. They never imagined that a sword branch disciple would be the first to challenge Chen Jingzhai.
There were also some who were secretly excited.
From their point of view, a sword branch disciple was enough to deal with Little Master-Uncle.
It was not just them. All the lineages were paying close attention to this battle.
Right then, the jade token in Chen Jingzhai’s hand also floated up.
“Disciple Nephew Fu, have you thought this through?” asked Chen Jingzhai as he stood at the top seat. He stared at the former with a cold gaze.
“Master-Uncle, please get on the platform!” invited Fu Yunzhao with an ice-cold expression.
Chen Jingzhai’s attitude angered him. It was incredibly uncomfortable when the former called him a disciple nephew.
Chen Jingzhai had joined the sect after him. He was only a 17-year-old brat.
However, he had become Fu Yunzhao’s Master-Uncle!
“Alright! Sword branch disciples always seem to be so arrogant. Let me teach you a lesson then!” declared Chen Jingzhai as he reached out and grabbed his jade token.
In an instant, the jade token shone. Then, after its light enveloped him, he disappeared from his original spot.
Chen Jingzhai and Fu Yunzhao appeared on the Eight Trigrams Platform simultaneously.
They were enveloped by the light of their jade tokens.
Both of them could not move at all. This was the power of the battle forum.
They watched as their jade tokens sank into the black and white fish eyes.
The light of the jade tokens also dissipated at that moment.
Without making small talk, Fu Yunzhao was the first to attack with his sword.
Sword light burst forth. Cold light flickered faster than the eyes could see.
With a swoosh, sword vapor pierced Chen Jingzhai’s shoulder.
Fu Yunzhao’s face revealed a cold, mocking smile.
“Are you thinking that Little Master-Uncle is nothing special?” asked Chen Jingzhai.
“Yes… you!” said Fu Yunzhao as he subconsciously nodded his head. But then, his expression changed drastically.
He turned his head and saw Chen Jingzhai smiling and standing behind him.
“In a battle between cultivators, what you see with your eyes is not always real. So you need to learn to use your divine mind or your sword to seek out your opponent.”
As Chen Jingzhai finished saying this, his figure that was penetrated by the sword vapor broke apart.
It became a puddle of clear water that splashed onto the Eight Trigrams Platform.
Fu Yunzhao’s face was red. He never imagined that he would lose like this.
His entire body was immobilized, and he could not activate the spiritual power within him.
He was under the effects of a Restriction.
“How did you do it?” asked Fu Yunzhao reluctantly. “We both attacked at the same time, and I was faster than you. So why was it that I lost?”
“That is because I immediately left my spot once I could move,” Chen Jingzhai explained patiently.
He was not in a hurry to finish off his opponent.
He continued, “I immediately disappeared with my Burrowing Technique and left behind a Water Illusion Shadow. It cannot move, but it is sufficient to serve as a distraction.”
“I did not notice any essence power,” said Fu Yunzhao calmly.
“That is because my understanding of spells is greater than yours. I have also comprehended the Dharma Intent,” said Chen Jingzhai with a smile. “I did activate essence power. However, you were unable to detect the spell that I cast. If you had utilized your divine mind from the start or comprehended sword’s will, you would naturally have sensed the activation of essence power.”
“I see!” said Fu Yunzhao bitterly. “It is my defeat!”
He immediately admitted defeat. His jade token flew up and encapsulated him.
Fu Yunzhao appeared in his original position and then disappeared without a trace again.
His challenge ended with him being eliminated from the battle forum altogether!
This was the penalty for failing a challenge against Chen Jingzhai, who was ranked first in the Zhengdu battle.
He was no longer qualified to remain in the battle forum. He would not even have a ranking.
It was because he had challenged his opponent without knowing the latter’s abilities and strengths. This was reckless and clueless.
Such disciples were naturally unqualified to remain in the forum.
Chen Jingzhai once again appeared at the top spot.
All the inner disciples fell silent. They had not expected the battle to end in an instant.
Such a scene was sufficient to prove that Chen Jingzhai had the ability to completely crush Fu Yunzhao.
For the next five minutes, no one dared to challenge the former.
Jade tokens once again flickered. A new battle had begun on the Eight Trigrams Platform.
One side was from Daoxuan Peak.
The other side was from Heaven and Earth Palace.
“That’s it?” commented Mrs. Yang as she broke into a smile.
“Fu Yunzhao is a Beginning Foundation Plane sword branch disciple. If he went all out, a Beginning Foundation Plane disciple from Daoxuan Peak would not be a match for him,” explained Sage Hao. “His sword vapor alone was extraordinary.”
“Yet, he still lost and was even kicked out of the battle forum,” said Mrs. Yang as the corner of her mouth curved upward. “I won the bet that someone would challenge Junior Brother Jingzhai in the first ten rounds.”
“Why were you so confident that this would transpire?” asked Peak Master Yang.
“Junior Brother Jingzhai is too famous,” said Mrs. Yang indifferently. “First, he immediately passed the test and was made a direct disciple, becoming a Master-Uncle. After that, he traversed the secret zone and practiced elixir alchemy. In a mere two years, he has become the topic of discussion in all the lineages. In the Zhengdu battle just now, he won with his wit. How could the disciples possibly be satisfied with the outcome?”
This was especially so for the disciples at the Beginning Foundation Plane. Their cultivation planes were similar to those of Chen Jingzhai.
They had all become inner disciples by rising through the ranks of casual disciples. All of them considered themselves to be outstanding. They would not bow their heads to Chen Jingzhai willingly. Moreover, there were many disciples from the Three Great Sword Branches among them.
The disciples of the Three Great Sword Branches were prideful and arrogant. They thought highly of themselves and did not admit defeat.
Chen Jingzhai was not from the sword branches and yet had become their Master-Uncle.
How could they possibly be satisfied with that?
Mrs. Yang clearly understood this. Hence, she was certain that some of them could not resist challenging Chen Jingzhai.
In the end, things played out exactly as she expected.
“You are indeed incredible!” said Peak Master Yang with a smile. “Junior Brother Jingzhai’s methods have far surpassed my expectations. His attacks were so understated and nimble. It is truly impressive.”
He used a Burrowing Technique, a Water Illusion Shadow, and a Restriction.
By simple application, he managed to deal with a disciple of the Golden Jade Sword Branch.
Such a performance was astounding.
This was much more difficult to pull off than it appeared.
“Our disciples should learn from his combined usage of spells and Restrictions. It is worth taking to heart,” said Sage Hao.
“Indeed!” replied Peak Master Yang. His eyes lit up slightly as he nodded his head in acknowledgment.
